Process for removing phenol and other aromatic hydrocarbons from water or other liquids



W LEGGI? ENUL ANP uw 'CR AHOMHIC HYDROCAPBONS FRUM'WATER PROCESS omRimowa PH UNITED STATES PATENT oFFic'E.

BOSS'M. LEGGETT, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO OZONE COMPANY 0F AMERICA,OF

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

PROCESS FOR REMOVINGf PHENOL AND OTHER AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS FROM WATER0R OTHER'LIQUIDS.

Patented J une 1 1920.

Application filed December 23, 1918. Serial No. 268,024.

l f To all lwhom zt may conern:

Be it known that I, Ross M; Lnocn'rr, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Akron, in thecounty of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Processes for Removing Phenoland other Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Water or other Liquids, of whichthe following is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which are a part of this specification.

In localities where the waste effluent -.of gas works, chemical plantsand other in- ',dustrial institutions contain phenol and otheraromatichydrocarbons, and said effluent is discharged into the public watersupply, this water supply becomes contaminated by said phenol or otheraromatic hydrocarbons, and due to its taste and odor is rendered unfitfor drinking purposes and domestic use, and this unfitness of the watersupply containing such effluent is more pronounced in 'localities whereit is necessary to treat the public water supply with,

` ing effluent as hereinafter described.

chlorin.

' My invention relates to a process for treating water or other vliquidswhich contain phenol and other aromatic hydrocarbons suchas the effluentabove described, with. a

view to the alteration or destruction of saidv aromatic hydrocarbons sothat it is possible to discharge waste effluent of gas works, chemicalplants or other industrial institutions containing said aromatichydrocarbons into sources of public water supply.

Taking phenol (carbolic acid) as an eX- ample, one part in one millionparts of water imparts to such a dilution a distinct flavor of phenol,which flavor appears to be enhanced by contact with organic matter fromsewerage effluent, and also by combination with chlorin when used as adisinfecting agent, or which by other means gains access to public watersupplies contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons such as effluent.

My invention is primarily intended to `be applied to factory effluentcontaining aromaticv hydrocarbons previous to their discharge intopublic water sources, but may .be applied to public Water suppliescontaininated with such aromatic hydrocarbons which have found access tosaid supply or which have been introduced into suchlsupply withoutchemical or other treatment.

Where the effluent to be treated 'contains considerablesolid vmatter insuspension or contains matter which may be readily precipitated from theeffluent, the several steps of the process' are aS follows:

f First: Coagulation of the effluent or the water supply containing theeffluent with ferrous sulfate and lime water or milk of lime, or by theuse of alum or. any other suitable coagulating4 medium. This coagulationmay be effected in any suitable type of apparatus. y

The 'next step is sedimentation, that is, the solid mater of thecoagulatcd mixture is allowed to settle, leaving the clear effluentliquid containing the phenol or other aromatic hydrocarbon free fromthesediment. The reason for the coagulation and sedimentation whichrelate to the removal of solid matter in the effluent or water supplycontaining the effluent is to facilitate the removal of the phenol orother aromatic hydrocarbons from said effluent or water supply contain-The ozonization consists in bringing ozone into contact with the liquid,and this may be done in any suitable manner, but I prefer to employ amixing tower in which the ozone is lead up through the liquid, placedwithin a tower.

In the drawing accompanying this application, Figure 1 is a view, partlyin section, of a tower for use in ozonizing the effluent or water supplycontaining effluent, and Fig.

'2 is a diagrammatic view of the tower and ozonizing apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 2, the numeral 3 designates an air compressor; 4 anozone generator to which the air is delivered from the pump 3 by pipe 5;6 the towerto which the ozoneis delivered under pressure through a pipe7; 8 the supply pipe for the liquid to be treated, and 9'the dischargepipe for the purified liquid, that is, the liquid which has been freedfrom the contamination'of phenol :or otheraromatic hydrocarbon. Thetower 6 may be of any suitable constructionas previously stated, so asto` bring the ozone into intimate contact with the liquid to be ytreated, and baille plates, mushroom plates or other. suitabledisintregrators or separators may be usedin the tower, butl prefer touse a tower suchvas shown in Fig. 1, in which the shell 10. of the toweris filled lwith rsmallpieces of coke, 11, and in which theozone is fedinto the base of the tower p75 thepipe 7 through a perforated end 12.

ith this construction the liquid to be treat- -'ed is introduced'intothe shell 10 from the top and partially fills the' tower. The ozone listhen` fed into the base of the tower under.

pressure,.and due lto this pressure its upper passage through theItower'agitates the small piecesof coke which aid in splitting up theozone and liquid in the tower to bring them into intimate contact witheach other, wherem bythe liquid. to be treated is thoroughly im-'pi-'egnated with ozone, and the process of oz'onization so alters thearomatic hydrocarbons by the vdecomposition of the carbon f content andthe consequenthydrogenation f'elf-fthe various y hydrocarbonsreassembling them into water and innocuous gases so that all lodors andtaste are impossible of detection in a dilution-of one partof treatedef-l fluent in a hundred parts of Water, so that the elluent thustreated lmay be discharged into public water sources without contami-Vnating inuence or effect, and so that public vifvatersources containingthe objectionable elluent` maybe treated so that `said Isources otheraromatic hydrocarbonsvfrom vvv[other liquids. containing ,phenol ervaromatic hydrocarbons'wliich consistswin coagulation ofthe mixtureIunder treatment followed by sedimentation vand lreinoval of.thecoagulated matter and then introducing may be used for drinking andother domestic urposes. y

Clbagulation is resorted to in order to` remove from the fluid undertreatment as large a percentage as possible of a solid matter so as toreduce so far as possible the conl. The process of removing Aphenol `orother aromatic hydrocarbons from water or other liquids containingphenol orfother aromatic hydrocarbons which.' consists in-coagulation ofthe-mixture under treatment iol# 'lowed by sedimentation and removal ofthe sediment from the y liquid and thereafter l..Ozonizing said liquid.e I 2. The process ofY removing phenoly er ovzone vunder pressureintothe liquid. v

3. The ,processl of removing` phenol Ior otheraroinaticl hydrocarbonsfrom water or other' liquids containing the same which-con` sists incoagulation'o'f the mixture .under treatment, `separation of thecoagulated matter fromy the liquid, and then introducing ozone under"pressure intoA t-he resulting liquid and agitating the mixture.

ture.

Ross ir. Lneen'rr.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my .sig'na-

